Sub Rosa
- Episode aired Jan 29, 1994
- TV-PG
- 46m
Dr. Crusher meets the man in her dead grandmother's life when she tries to put her affairs in order, whom one of the local people warn her to stay away from by not lighting a candle that has... Read allDr. Crusher meets the man in her dead grandmother's life when she tries to put her affairs in order, whom one of the local people warn her to stay away from by not lighting a candle that has been lit for generations.Dr. Crusher meets the man in her dead grandmother's life when she tries to put her affairs in order, whom one of the local people warn her to stay away from by not lighting a candle that has been lit for generations.
- Crewman Martinez
- (uncredited)
- Command Division Officer
- (uncredited)
- Lt. Jae
- (uncredited)
- Science Division Officer
- (uncredited)
- Starfleet Ensign
- (uncredited)
- Command Division Officer
- (uncredited)
- Sciences Officer
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaNames on the tombstones include "Vader" and "McFly."
- GoofsThe premise of the story revolves around the "women of the Howard family," from mother to daughter. However, patrilineal traditions of Scottish history would dictate that the women, when married, would no longer be "Howard" women and neither would their descendants. Yet oddly, 800 years later, Beverly's grandmother is still a "Howard". This is not explained.
- Quotes
[Crusher describes to Troi a very sensual dream she had after reading a rather erotic chapter in her grandmother's journal]
Doctor Beverly Crusher: I wonder if I'll have another dream tonight.
Counselor Deanna Troi: I'd read two chapters.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Inglorious Treksperts: Brannon's Quarantine Playlist w/ Brannon Braga (2020)
- SoundtracksStar Trek: The Next Generation Main Title
Composed by Jerry Goldsmith and Alexander Courage
That is to say old school Star Trek was a plot driven "police in space" show, whereas Star Trek The Next Generation looked at character interaction for a variety of reasons. Here the good doctor is again made the subject of examining someone who experiences the world differently, only this time it's a plot device to move the story forward.
The plot is more than just a romance, and adds real jeopardy to ship and characters. Not to keep parroting myself here, but old school Star Trek went after a lot of bad guys who had psychiatric issues that caused problems. We get some of that here with Dr. Crusher interacting with a character that others don't know about, question, or can't otherwise experience like the ship's doctor.
Regrettably the story starts to falls into psychological examination as is the supermajority of this TV series which slows the story. But, it's not simply a Harlequin romance novel in space as a lot of the reviews would suggest. The episode deals with a character who has strong emotions for someone that other people question. Said relationship poses a threat to the ship.
Personally, to me, it's just another character driven episode with some plot elements that stray from the usual background story fodder where the plot usually exists in this show.
I had it on in the background when it first aired, and watching it again after thirty years I shrug my shoulders at it. To me it's on par with all of the other episodes in the series, perhaps a bit better than a lot of other episodes. The subplot essentially becomes that basis for the larger plot, with perhaps a dash of the Emperor from Return of the Jedi with the anaphasic energy thing.
There is a moral dilemma here that the good Doctor has to face, and in this respect she confronts herself and helps save the day. To me, in this regard, it's a slightly better episode, but again falls into the basic character driven format that is this episode. I think what has some people put off by this episode is that it has "mushy stuff"; romance. Personally, given all of the romances Kirk and Spock had with non-starship personnel, I don't see the problem, and this comes from someone who is not a fan of the show. But to each his own.
Details
- Runtime46 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1